115: How this UX Designer escaped UX portfolio burnout and rebuilt his entire UX job search strategy

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Welcome to the Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody, a UX Designer & UX Researcher with 20 years of experience who founded the UX job search accelerator, Career Strategy Lab. She's been doing UX career coaching since 2017.

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Welcome to another Open House episode of the Career Strategy Podcast! In this episode, Sarah Doody sits down with Jon Simmons, a seasoned product designer currently navigating the UX job search.

Jon shares his experience of revamping his portfolio, refining his job search strategy, and preparing for senior-level interviews after a layoff. He discusses how shifting his portfolio approach from a website to a presentation format significantly improved his job prospects and how structured storytelling and community support made a difference in his confidence and clarity.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ The importance of stepping back from just tweaking your portfolio and doing deeper self-reflection

✔️ How portfolio presentations (vs. websites) give you more control over your job search narrative

✔️ The role of mindset and confidence in positioning yourself for high-level UX roles

✔️ Why community and structured frameworks can prevent burnout and job search frustration

✔️ Jon’s insights on interviewing for principal product designer roles and adapting to today’s market

Timestamps

01:43 Episode Overview and Open House Context

03:14 John's Journey in Career Strategy Lab

07:12 Portfolio Presentation Insights

15:58 The Importance of Self-Reflection

18:03 Advice for Prospective Members

20:06 Conclusion and Community Highlights

21:47 Closing Remarks and Call to Action

🎬 Watch our free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in 2025

👉 Join Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.

👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.